Why Your Garden Needs Mulch (Assuming You Do It Right) (Published 2022) (2024)

FAQs

Why Your Garden Needs Mulch (Assuming You Do It Right) (Published 2022)? ›

Mulch contributes to weed control by blocking the light that some unwanted species need to germinate. It also forms a barrier that prevents weed seeds from getting a foothold. Successful weeds could steal as much as 25 percent of the moisture that would otherwise reach the plants you're trying to grow, Dr.

Mulch helps conserve and extend available water, protects the soil from erosion, reduces competition by suppressing weeds, moderates temperature extremes, and acts as a barrier or visible marker of gardening beds to limit damage by landscape maintenance equipment.

It is bad to have low airflow and constant moist conditions in the top 50mm to 100mm around the crown of plants. Ground cover mulch with fines create ideal conditions for disease to live and prosper around the crown of the plant, often causing, or enhancing root rot diseases in many plant varieties.

One hallmark of any healthy garden is the effective use of mulch. Mulches help control weeds, prevent disease, conserve moisture, maintain consistent soil temperatures, enrich the soil and make the garden look good.

Hay mulch is a well-kept secret we're letting you in on… Hay is grass cut while still green — it contains lots of moisture. Many believe it's the best mulch for flower and veggie gardens — it blocks weeds, and delivers nutrients to the soil as it composts. This is especially good for seedlings.

Mulch can mitigate soil compaction, and it is better than bare soil at capturing water and fostering water penetration, so it reduces runoff. It also slows water evaporation from the underlying soil by up to 35 percent, Dr. Fonteno said, and it moderates soil temperatures in the summer and winter.

But, generally, using organic mulch made from wood chips or bark will be the best choice. It's one of the easiest and least expensive ways to ensure the long-term health and fertility of your soil and the health of your trees and shrubs.

While mulching in early fall is safe, you should never mulch during late fall. "This can insulate the ground and prevent plant dormancy," says Morrell. The much-needed hibernation helps plants survive the cold winter months.

Finally, avoid large, bark type mulch or big wood chips. Since these big pieces take a long time to decompose, and they end up depriving the soil and plants of nutrients.

Too much mulch applied over the root ball or resting against the trunk (see right photos) can cause problems for trees, especially when there is a lagre range in particle sizes. Roots often grow up and into the mulch causing stem girdling roots which can kill trees (lower photo).

What veggies don't like mulch? ›

Some examples of vegetables that I tend not to mulch are: lettuces, carrots, cover crops, and peas.

Black. The most widely used, available, and inexpensive of the colored mulches, black plastic mulch has excellent weed suppression ability because of its opacity. It is also useful for warming soil during the growing season, particularly if as much of the plastic as possible is in contact with the soil below.

Get Rid of Weeds Before Mulching

While a good layer of mulch can smother small, young weeds, don't expect it to magically eliminate well-established weeds. It's better to remove any big weeds and patches of weeds before mulching over them, or they'll pop right through.

Using cardboard or newspaper as a natural weed barrier can allow you to kill a very large area of weeds and grass without using any chemicals or herbicides. Cardboard is applied to the area. Then a layer of mulch goes on top of that. In creating a highly fertile site, a gardener may put several layers of materials.

But don't over-mulch or your plants won't get the air they need. Weed first, then mulch. When you're preparing your bed, move aside old mulch, pull any weeds and then apply a layer of fresh mulch. Treat the soil with a pre-emergent herbicide before mulching.

Mulch adds to the beauty and tidiness of a garden. It also enhances growing conditions by protecting the root zones of plants and moderating soil temperatures. Mulch may make a garden look tidy, but the work it does to improve the growing conditions for plants is what makes it most appealing.

When and How Often Should You Mulch? We recommend that you have your yard mulched at least once a year. To take full advantage of the many benefits it can offer to the soil, some people like to mulch twice a year. While there is nothing wrong with this, it does require more effort and expense.

And yes, a fresh layer of mulch each year keeps your landscape healthy and looking its best.